Last Saturday the Culver City High School football teams played their fall scrimmage. The freshmen, junior varsity and varsity teams showcased their talent in front of proud parents and enthusiastic coaches. After five hours of football, the No. 1 theme of the night appeared to be:
Team comes first.
Culver City has a lot of good players but those players have checked their egos at the door. The players want to be known as a good team and not a bunch of good individuals. “I like them because they are a blue collar team,” said longtime assistant coach Cornell Myles.
“They remind me of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They just line up, go out and play hard. They play physically. Most importantly, they have fun. No superstars. They are like a fist balled up, getting ready to deliver a knockout punch.”
The Centaurs are the defending Ocean league champions.
They open their season Friday evening in the South Bay. The 7 o’clock game matches the Centaurs against a good West Torrance. West’s most prieductive back Brett Ojiyi wran for 1,037 yards and scored 21 touchdowns last year.
Back at the Scrimmage
Reynard Saxon, Donovan Davis, Anthony Polk, Fred Wadibia, Jason Grossman, Evan Tillman and quarterback Xavier Ryan were Culver City players who were impressive during the varsity scrimmage.
“Our offense was on the same page tonight,” Ryan said. “We just need to take it one game at a time and see what happens.”
If Culver City has a superstar, it is the 6-foot-3 Saxon, who plays wide receiver and safety. “I have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Saxon said. “I am ready to take the leadership role. I am one of the main players. But we have a great overall team concept. We have our egos to the side.”
Offensive coordinator Aki Wilson was happy no one was injured during the scrimmage.
More than that, the Centaurs’ offense must improve. “We have to have a better passing game,” he said. “I am also concerned about the play of our tackles. They need to give the quarterback better outside protection.”
Overall the coaches were pleased with fall practice and the Blue and White scrimmage. “We had a good camp, and the kids were real positive,” assistant coach Greg Goodyear said. “We pushed them pretty hard. If we can continue to improve, we should be very competitive in the Ocean League and defend our championship.”
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
